News from New York State Department of Transportation

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NYSDOT Announces Opening of New Stewart Airport Access Road

All Major Construction Complete on $55 Million Project

ALBANY, NY (11/20/2007; 1345)(readMedia)-- New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Astrid C. Glynn today announced the opening of the newly constructed Interstate 84/New York Route 747 interchange, as well as the new Stewart Boulevard, which provides an east-west connection between NY 747, also known as Drury Lane, and Stewart International Airport in the Towns of Newburgh and New Windsor, Orange County. This signals completion of all major construction on a $55 million project to help alleviate area congestion, improve access to airport parking, and reduce travel times for both airport and local traffic.

“This new road and highway interchange will improve traffic flow and make it easier to use Stewart Airport,” Commissioner Glynn said. “Under the leadership of Governor Eliot Spitzer, the Department of Transportation has worked with the local community and our partners at the Airport to bring this key transportation project to completion. We particularly look forward to working with the Port Authority on a series of multimodal ground access improvements.”

NYSDOT Regional Director Joan Dupont was joined by Stewart Airport Commission Chairman Jim Wright, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Aviation Director William DeCota, New York State Senator Bill Larkin, and Orange County Chamber of Commerce President John A. D’Ambrosio at today’s ribbon cutting, held at the intersection of Stewart Boulevard and NY 747.

Stewart Airport Commission Chairman Jim Wright said, “The State Department of Transportation is to be commended for making the right choice in selecting the Drury Lane alternative as the new gateway to Stewart Airport. The connector road will serve as a funnel to direct incoming traffic to our newly expanded parking facilities.”

Port Authority Executive Director Anthony E. Shorris said, “An airport is only as good as its connections to passengers. Thanks to Governor Eliot Spitzer and the New York State DOT, this development, along with the new 350-space parking lot also opening this week, will serve as a signal that Stewart is primed for growth. And this is just the beginning. The Port Authority has set aside $500 million for investment in Stewart over the next decade, and we’ll be using that money to help the airport realize its potential as a great regional gateway for the Hudson Valley and a global test-bed for the latest advances in green aviation.”

New York State Senator Bill Larkin said, “I am very pleased to help commemorate the opening of this new access road to Stewart Airport. Much planning and hard work has gone into this important project that will help improve the flow of traffic in and out of the Airport as well as create new business opportunities and economic development for the immediate area.”

New York State Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun said, “I am very pleased with the completion of this project. This will provide greater access and be a tremendous asset to Stewart Airport. Under the new direction of the Port Authority, Stewart Airport will become, as we all knew it could, the economic engine for the Hudson Valley.”

Orange County Chamber of Commerce President John A. D’Ambrosio said, “Throughout the 25 years that I’ve been President of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, the success of Stewart International Airport has been a top priority for our organization. And for at least the past 10 years, one of the top priorities for Stewart Airport has been the construction of a direct connector road into the airport. Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to make this new road a reality.”

More than one mile of new roadway was constructed as Stewart Boulevard in order to connect International Boulevard, also known as C Street, west to NY 747. Almost 3.5 miles of roadway on NY 747 was reconstructed and widened and an interchange connecting Interstate 84 and NY 747 was built, creating Exit 5A on Interstate 84. The project, which began in January 2006, also included roadside landscaping, the construction of four new bridge structures and the installation of traffic signals.

The project also included environmental improvements that recently earned it an Exemplary Ecosystem Initiative award from the Federal Highway Administration. Environmental aspects of the project include creation of 12 vernal pools for the blue spotted and Jefferson salamanders native to the area, as well as tunnel crossings underneath the roadway and amphibian barriers to direct salamanders to the tunnels, thereby keeping them off of the road. While not officially endangered, these are “Species of Special Concern” as noted by the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection.

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